The First Word: Upbraided

On this day – Gov. Perry and Rep. Pitts spar over using the Rainy Day Fund; continued fallout and reaction from Perry’s statement that local school layoffs aren’t his problem; and the pretrial hearing for two DeLay lieutenants is delayed.

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*Fisticuffs over (Rainy Day) Funds*

House Appropriations Chairman Jim Pitts slammed Gov. Rick Perry and his office Thursday afternoon for circulating a list of cuts that Perry said the House hadn’t examined yet, even though most of the cuts were included in the base and supplemental budget proposals. Peggy Fikac reports:

Under questioning, the two Perry staffers said the list was developed before Pitts filed a supplemental appropriations bill that detailed cuts state agencies have agreed to make under a previous directive by state leaders.

As they whittled the additional cuts on the Perry document to less than $200 million, Pitts said that Perry “within the hour” had told a lawmaker that budget-writers “have not taken over a billion dollars worth of cuts.” He asked for an answer.

Morrissey said he didn’t know what Perry had said within the hour, since he’d been testifying.

Pitts said, “We’re trying to get a solution … When the governor is out there telling members something completely opposite, it doesn’t help to pass a bill”

Said Perry spokeswoman Katherine Cesinger: “They took the opportunity today, and that’s why they had these hearings, to make sure there’s an open communication…, to clear that up.”

One of the Perry aides at the meeting did say that the Governor has not “drawn a line in the sand” over the use of the Rainy Day Fund, a comment that struck many as odd given the Governor’s repeated past statements that the Rainy Day Fund should not be spent, and his more recent statements that it should only be spent as a last resort.

Fikac reports that Rep. Pitts expects to hold committee votes on both the supplemental budget and a bill that would allow for use of the Rainy Day Fund to fill part of the state’s current budget hole, on Monday

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*Comments Over Education Cuts Dominate The News Cycle*

Wednesday was supposed to be the day that the Governor and other statewide leaders highlighted their support for state’s rights and opposition to recent policies enacted by the federal government. What dominated the news, however, were the Governor’s remarks about teacher layoffs – specifically his assertion that it was a local matter that the state didn’t have any influence on.

Saturday, an organization called Save Texas Schools says that more than 10,000 people will rally outside of the Capitol to protest the significant proposed cuts to state education spending, which school districts are blaming for the layoff notices.

The Explainer broke down how the state budget cuts will affect Houston Independent School District on Wednesday and will follow that up with a San Antonio school district on Friday afternoon. So stay tuned (or whatever the web variant of that is).

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*More Stop, No Go*

The long and winding road through the criminal justice system that the DeLay/TRMPAC case took another turn as Judge Pat Priest recused himself from presiding over the trial of John Colyandro and Jim Ellis – who were indicted as DeLay’s accomplices. A new date for a pre-trial hearing has been set for May 23rd.